Conservation

We maximize our conservation results by focusing on five key strategies critical for birds

Brown Pelican. Photo: Roger Williams/Audubon Photography Awards

For more than a century Audubon has protected birds and their habitat for the benefit of humanity as well as the earth’s biodiversity. Our legacy is built on science, education, advocacy, and on-the-ground conservation. We bring all of this together through our unparalleled network. This combination of expertise and on-the-ground engagement makes Audubon a truly unique and trusted force for conservation.

Audubon’s mission is more urgent today than ever before. Natural habitat and open spaces are disappearing at an alarming rate. Protections for wildlife, natural places, and clean air and water are in jeopardy. By protecting birds, we’re also safeguarding the Western hemisphere's great natural heritage for future generations, preserving our shared quality of life and fostering a healthier environment for us all.

Audubon’s national, international, and state programs, centers, chapters, and Important Bird Areas come together with an unparalleled wingspan for conservation.

Coastal areas are a magnet for birds and people alike. Unfortunately, overfishing, development, and sea level rise put 60 percent of coastal birds at risk. By expanding our successful coastal stewardship program, Audubon can enlist a growing army of volunteer caretakers of nesting habitat. Seabirds are also vulnerable—they make up close to half the species on Audubon’s WatchList.

Knowing which places are most important for birds is the first step toward conserving them. Audubon has identified 2,766 Important Bird Areas in the United States, covering 397 million acres, and is supporting work in some of the 2,204 IBAs in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada. Now we can harness the Audubon network to protect, restore, and advocate for these landscapes and the birds that depend on them.

Best management practices on ranches, farms, and forests hold the key to survival for more than 150 species of threatened grassland and forest birds. By partnering with landowners, Audubon can help ensure a bright future for birds like the Cerulean Warbler and the Tricolored Blackbird, and a healthy landscape for future generations.

Climate change poses an unprecedented threat not just to birds but to biodiversity and our shared quality of life. Audubon is responding to this challenge with an equally unprecedented combination of strategies, from advancing transformational policies that reduce carbon emissions and support well-sited green energy to leading adaptive land management practices that will mitigate the impact of sea level rise and climate change.

Most Americans live in cities or suburbs, and people can play a critical role in fostering healthy wildlife populations and communities. Rural regions have an outsized opportunity to contribute. As the leading voice for birds, Audubon can inspire the one in five adults who watch birds to make daily lifestyle choices that add up to real conservation impact.

A commitment to education is at the heart of the Audubon tradition. By inspiring more people in more places to value and protect the natural world, we are laying the foundation for future conservation.